Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-10-29

view Of eating him in Tue course. AS foi
their attack upon ourselves, it was made
in an access Of sudden fury. and they deep
ly regretted it. He ended by humbly pray
ing that mercy might be extended to them,
or at least that they might be banishe,l
into the swamps, to live or die rs il might
chance; but | saw on his face that he had
but little hope Of mercy.
Then came a pause. and the most intense
silence rcigned over the whole scene,
which, illuminated as IL was by the flick.
ering lamps that struck out broad patterns
of light and shadow upon the rocky walls,
was rs strange an one as | ever saw, even
in that weird land. There, seated In her
barbaric chair above them all, with myself
at her feet, was the yelled white woman,
whose awsome power seemed to shine
about her like a halo. Never have l seen
her yelled shape look more terrible than
1t did in that space, while she gathered
herself up as 1t were for vengeance.
At last It came.
dogs and serpents," She began. In .
Low voice that gradually gathered power
as she went on, till the place rang with II,
"eaters of human flesh, two things have We
done. First, ye have attacked these stran.
gers, being white men, and would have
slain their servant, and for that alone death
Is your reward. But hat Is not al. Ye
have dared to disobey me. Did | not send
my word unto ye by Billali, my servant,
Inc the father OF your hous holds Hath
IL not been Taught to We from childhood
that the law of She Is an ever-fiXed law,
and that he who breaketh 1t by SO much as
one jot or title shall perish' And Is not
my lightest word a law' Have not your
fathers taught We this, | say, whilst as yet
We were out children, Well do We know
il, We Wicked Ones. But We are all evil
evil to the core; the wickedness bubbles up
in we like a fountain in the spring-time.
And now because We have done this thing,
because We have striven to put these men,
my guests, to death, and yet more because
We have dared 70 disobey my word, this is
the doom that ! doom ye to. That We DO
taken to the cave Of torture, and given
over TO the torturers to wreak their will
upon We, and that on the going down of to-
morrow's sun those Of We who yet remain
alive be slain by the hot-pot, rs We would
have slain the servant of this my guest"
She ceased, and a faint murmur OF hor-
ror ran round the cave. AS for the victims,
rs soon as they realized the full hideous-
ness of their doom, their stoicism forsook
them, and they flung themselves down
upon the ground, and wept and implored
for mercy in a way hat was dreadful to
behold. too turned TO Ayesha and begged
her to spare them, or at least to mete out
their fate in some less awful way. But
she was hard as adamant about it.
my Holly" she said, again speaking In
Greek, which, TO tell the truth. although
/ have always been considered as good n
scholar of the language as most. l found il
rather difficult to follow, chiefly because of
the change in the fall Of the a~ccent-Ayes-
Ia, Of course, talked with the accent of
her contemporaries, whereas we have only
tradition and the modern accent to guide
us as TO the exact pronunciatisn-''my
Bolly, it can not be. Were l to show mercy
TO those wolves, your lives would not be
safe among this people for a day. Thou
knowest them not. They are tigers to lap
blood, and even now they hunger after
your lives. How thinkest thou that l rule
this pcoplei / have but a regiment OF
guards to do my bidding, therefore it is not
by force. 1t is by terror. Nay, the men
must die, and die as I have said. Then
turning suddenly to the captain Of the
guard, "My word is spoken-let my doom
be done"